Some Of My Favorite Places To Study

Here is a short list in no particular order of places at Cornell that I like to study. There are countless places to study here and I can only scrape the top of the iceberg. Please tell me what your favorite places to study at Cornell are.

The Fiske Room in Uris Library (The Fishbowl)

When a deadline is near and I have to get some serious work done, this is where I often go. It’s rarely crowded and usually very quiet. I like how all around the sides of the room there are portraits of old men staring at me as if to make me get to work. There is not much to distract me here except for reading all the strange scribbles that are on the desks.

Second Floor Common Room of Becker South

This is were I like to go when I have work to do and want to be somewhat social at the same time. It is nice talking to people, but this is not a good place for me to go when I have important work to do. It can quickly become too distracting and not conducive for studying. It is a pretty nice area although I don’t like the low lighting, which is part of the reason why my picture came out so strange (it really isn’t that blue outside).

The Tower Cafe in Uris Library

This place has a really nice vibe. Filled with people doing problem sets and sipping coffee, it has a nice level of noise that isn’t too loud or too quiet. Good for having a snack while still working and getting away from the stiff atmosphere that many of the other study areas on campus have. Also, its location in Uris next to McGraw tower has a nice view of Ho Plaza.

My Desk

Although not always my first choice, it can work out rather well sometimes. I have everything I need in my room, but I also have many things I don’t need for studying that will only distract me, the biggest distraction being my computer. Here I can shout at myself and make strange noises all I want and no one will think I’m a crazy except for my suite-mates, but they already know that. I didn’t use my desk much last year, but now I have a lot of desk space and a nice single; I think I will start using it more.

Duffield Hall and Atrium

Duffield Hall is one of the new Engineering buildings (the one with the huge block coming out of its side). Duffield Atrium (pictured) connects Duffield Hall with many of the of the other Engineering buildings. There is an interesting industrial feel going on with the huge skylights and stone floors. Besides all the tables and study alcoves on the main level, there are lots of little study places all around on the balconies. And don’t forget the tables and chairs in the front of Duffield where everyone outside can see you. It’s a cool yet strange experience working up there on display, everyone should try it out at least once. Also there are some very comfy chairs around good for taking little naps. Dufflied is very convenient for Engineering students and there are always lots of people going in and out, unfortunately I am rarely around the Engineering quad this year to take advantage of it.

ohhh, the old men staring at me would be a total distraction. Because I’d have to start thinking, “Well, that guy looks like he’d be friendly” or “He seems mean…” And then I would begin thinking, “Well, it might only be the portrait, you never can tell about people, especially from a painting” and then I’d either start thinking about the ability of paint to capture a feeling vs other media, or about human nature, or I would try looking at the paintings in another way, like, “Well, at first he seems mean, but I think he’s softer on the inside. That friendly looking one, on the other hand, seems like the type to lie and fake honesty to gain power…”

I would eventually realize that it doesn’t matter, because the people in the paintings are long dead. And then I would ponder the meaning of life and death, and whether one gains some form of immortality from being painted, and whether the same holds true for photographs, or the artists themselves. If the artist who once sat in front of this man, painting him, is still alive, is the man in the painting somehow alive as well?

Dont get me STARTED on the scribbles!

=P

….also, you have some typos here, “Dufflied is very convenient Engineering students and there are always…” and here “It’s rarely crowded and usually very quite.”
>_>